Kenmore 596-691-42990 refridgerator cooling problem

I have a Kenmore model 596-691-42990 and I have diagnosed that the defrost thermostat is bad. I defrosted the coils with a hair dryer and started it up again pending arrival of parts. I did this once before and the unit ran fine for about a month. The problem now is that it will only cool to about 40 at max setting of 7 and before it cooled to 35 at setting of 5 1/2 after defrosting and I am wondering if there is another problem that needs to be addressed and want to get all the parts at once. I am going to get a new thermostat and even though I think the timer is good I am getting one of those too.. Another thing is that when I defrosted the unit I had water on the floor and it did not do that before. Is there a drain or something I cannot see?.....Or is there a tank/pan or something for the evaporator. I also wonder if this is the cooling problem?...Maybe the evaporator had water in it from defrosting and it froze on restarting not allowing the fridge to cool as low as before? I have laminated hardwood flooring and I would like to make sure when I defrost it to replace the parts I do not get water under the fridge again.Thanks in advance

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for reallybsq
problem could be door seals not sealing completely and hence excessive ice formed on evaporator and excess water when it melts. however, i have found this problem many times with large larder fridges and really found no cure.

for guest.
towards the bottom of the back wall, there is a gulley with a drain hole in the middle. this drain is blocked. clear it with something flexible and make sure water flows away freely

Most likely , the problem is a bad defrost heater , pt # WR51X10055 , but I would still suggest going thru the motions to make sure . The heater runs about $45.00 .Pull the refrig out and remove the 8 " x 10 " panel . Behind this panel , is the main control board . Unplug the refrig . Remove the BLUE plug from the board , with 3 larger wires going to it . Looking at the blue plug , the sequence will be wire1,wire2,space,wire3 . Get a short piece of insulated wire , and strip about 1/4 inch from each end . Insert 1 end into wire2 , and the other into wire3 . Plug the refrig back in . After about 3 min , look in the freezer , at the bottom , behind the crisper , look for a red glow . If no red glow , unplug the refrig , and reassemble the plug and cover . This no glow , indicates a shorted defrost heater WR51X10055 . It is also advisable to replace the defrost thermostat ( pt. number WR50X10068 ) when replacing the heater . To access these parts , you will have to remove the inside rear wall of the freezer . The heater , is at the bottom of the coils , held on with 2 screws , and the thermostat , is the 1 " cylinder , with a blue and pink wire going to it , clipped on the top left of the coils .If you do get a red glow , then the # 4 thermistor is bad . This tells the main control board , the temp of the coils , if they need defrosted , when they are thru defrosting . This thermistor is the 1 " long , torpedo looking piece , clipped on the top left of the coils , with 2 white wires going to it . Part number WR55X10025 . It would be advisable to also replace the # 5 thermistor , located at the bottom of the freezer , slightly in front of the drain , also with 2 white wires going to it , slid into a housing . This thermistor , is the freezer thermistor , which tells the control board , the freezer temp and when to cycle off due to selected temperature

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Related Questions:

It could be several problems. Do you see frost building up in the freezer back panel? if so possible bad defrost thermostat or heating element. Also could have a freon leak or bad compressor. Very hard to diagnose without actually seeing it.

The only place that cools in a refrigerator is the freezer. The refridgerator side stills cold from the freezer via an air duct that runs from the freezer to the refridgerator. If your fan in the freezer compartment is not working your refridgerator side will not work. To replace the fan you will need to clean out the freezer including the shelving. Then remove the back panel all you need is a phillips screw driver. When the back is replaced the fan is at the top. It is held in by two screws that go threw rubber mounts on the fan braces. You will need to remove one ground wire and two electric wires on the motor its self. Make sure to unplug the refrigerator before starting the repair. good luck

DEFROST PROBLEMThe evaporator coil behind the cover on the back wall inside the freezer will ice up under normal conditions. Every 8 to 10 hours for around 20 minutes the defrost timer (or in most newer models the electronic adaptive defrost control) will turn the defrost heater on to melt the built up ice. There is a defrost thermostat which prevents the heater from overheating the freezer by breaking the heater circuit when the temp reaches close to 32 degrees F. The entire cooling system shuts off during the defrost cycle and starts back when the timer advances through the cycle.

If this ice is not melted it will continue to build up until the air can’t flow over the coil to circulate the cold air through the freezer and into the fridge. The temperature change in the fridge is usually noticed first followed by the freezer.

If the defrost thermostat is bad, it can prevent the heater from coming on OR it won’t turn the heater off when it gets too warm. It is clamped to the evaporator coil at the top to sense the temp. If it appears to be misshapen it is bad.With an ohm meter it should show continuity when cold and none when warm.You can also bypass(disconnect the two wires plugged into it and twist them together) the thermostat to see if the heater comes on then. If it does then you know the thermostat is bad and needs replaced.

The defrost heater is located on the evaporator. It is in a tube which is at the bottom and can also go up the sides of the evaporator. On some types you can see a burnt spot if it’s bad. With an ohm meter it should show continuity from end to end when disconnected from the wiring in the freezer. You can also test the wiring for voltage when it’s in the defrost mode.

If you have a defrost timer you can test it. It can be located under the fridge behind the kick panel on the front. Some are in the fridge with the controls at the top. You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer because that means the timer is not running. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.

If you have an adaptive defrost control instead of a timer, replace it if the heater and thermostat test good. It is located in the fridge with the controls in some models and on the back in others. You can post your model number into one of several appliance parts sites on the internet and search for defrost components to find your parts.

The fresh food section is cooled by the freezer section by forced air supplied by a fan. If you have air flow, check the temp inside the freezer. It should be between 0 and -10. If not look inside your freezer and see if you have ice built up on the back panel. If so you have a defrost problem that is most likely a bad defrost heater, a bad termination thermostat or timer. If ther is no ice then check your fan under the refrig. If you can hear the compressor running it should be turning. If this all checks out then you have a freon system problem like. Low Freon pressure or a restriction.

DO u have frost build up in the freezer ? If so you have a defrost problem.. defrost thermostat, timmer or heaters. You can by-pass the thermostat cut it and tape the wire together and put it into defrost with the timmer by clicking it to the right until it clicks the heater you need to ohm out .. the defrost timmer will be good most of the time if it comes out of defrost ... ref. will start running again when u test the defrost thermostat here is a diagram that may helphttp://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/retrieveSubComponentPartsAction.action?diagramPageId=00011&componentDescription=AIR%20FLOW%20AND%20CONTROL%20PARTS&documentId=00016472&modelNumber=1068562782&productCategoryId=0160000&brandId=0582&modelName=REFRIGERATOR&backToLink=Return%20to%20Sub%20Components

It sounds like your defrost cycle has stopped working. unplug your fridge for 24 hours and let it defrost. plug it back after 24 hour and if it starts to cool in the fridge part at about 40 degrees F. you will have to replace one of three parts the Defrost Timer, Defrost Themo or Defrost Element. I hope this helps you.

Do you have ice at the back of the freezer section. If you do defrost the unit and see if this makes a difference to the performance. If it behaves you probably have a defrost heater or defrost thermostat fault. If it fails to pull down you possibly have a fan motor gone or a problem with the defrost circuit. I would suggest if it behaves monitor closely and if it fails contact a good fridge guy who should be able to diagnose which fault it is. Hope this is of some help.